WSP-53
John Jenkins Designs
Trappers lived lonely lives in the wilderness, and often took Indian wives. The trapper would trade with the father. The maidens it was said were not averse to a white man as a husband, for as a mountain man’s wife they lived an easier life and received more gifts of finery.
The trapper in addition to acquiring a companion in the wilderness, got someone to care for his lodge, cook his meals, tan and help care for the hides, and make his buckskin clothing and moccasins. The ceremony was a simple one. Once the trapper had supplied enough goods to satisfy the father, the trapper and his bride walked off together wrapped in a blanket or buffalo robe to set up housekeeping on their own.
This custom was much the same with most of the Indian tribes of the plains.